In lieu of Fashion Friday, I'd like to take a moment and remember the victims, their families, and the heroes of 9-11. You are still in our prayers.
Eight years ago, on 9-11, my baby girl was just 5 days old...she woke me up early that morning so I flipped on the tv, still groggy and hoping to fall back asleep on the couch after feeding her. It was around 6am (pacific time) and Brandon was still sleeping...we were living in a little one bedroom apartment in Las Vegas, excited about having just become parents.
I sat in utter shock as I watched the news, panicked at the thought of bringing a child into this world. Tears wouldn't stop for days after that...having just had baby didn't help control my emotions!.
How about you? Where we you when you got the news of the terrorist attack?
Friday, September 11, 2009
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Sorry this has to be a 2 part comment.
ReplyDeleteI was at home getting ready for school and my grandparents (who lived across the street at that time) for some odd reason were up early that day and were watching the news, called our house frantic, (since their pretty old and calling seemed more logical I guess), about what's on the news and turn the tv on to see. I was in 6th grade at the time so when I first saw it before heading to school. I didn't quite understand what was going on. My Sister 9who is 3 years older than me) told my younger brother and I to continue getting ready or we would miss the bus. SO we did and we left for school. I remember having to tell my teacher what I saw and no one in my class knew about it yet and niether did the teacher, he turned on the news and it was still playing all that happened. Once school settled in and what was considered 2nd period, the principal came on the P.A. system telling all the teachers to bring us to an emergency assembly. We all left for it, and the principle discussed what had happened and told us if we had any questions or were confused, to ask away. At the assembly the principal asked us if we believed in praying then please do pray for the safety of everyone involved in 9/11 from people in the buildings to the firefighters, to the volunteers, to the families of those who are in the buildings at the time.
After the assembly we returned to our classes and we discussed it more with the teacher and did a class vote to see what type of action we should take to help those we can, i.e.: making awareness and support posters, making care packages, doing a fundraiser for the families. Each class decided to do something different but on that day during school, I remember the teachers talking it out with us, telling us what they knew and if they felt like it would infringe on the parent's rights of telling us things then they would tell us to ask our parents.
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ReplyDeleteI asked my parents their take on it when I got home from school and the told me straight out that some terrorist or bad men from another country, gave up their life (in martyring belief that they would receive 72 virgins if they did that) to attack Americans for whatever reason they felt justified, whether it was because they didn't like our belief system or the laws or just us...they wanted to start something and if they want a war we won't back down. Both my parents also told me because I asked about the war thing and if they knew we were going to war, they both answered "we don't know, we can only hope and prayer that tomorrow gets better but if there is going to be a war, be thankful for all you are given and all the freedoms the soldiers are fighting to protect."
I'm lucky I have a very straightforward set of parents (or that might just be me b/c some people resent that their parents are like that) because they took the time to explain to me things that were important. A lot of my friend's parents refused to tell them anything or would tell them just simple things because they wanted things to me as normal as possible. I am also lucky and glad that I had a school like I had where in a situation like that, things were discussed (appropriately, again not to step on the parents toes) and that we came together to help other people in trouble no matter race or religion (though that should be the case with every time you help someone, this time especially more so considering the race and religion of the terrorists that attacked us).
And going back to the school thing the next day I think we chose the care packages and another class did posters while a different class did a fundraiser.
I was working at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation in Sanibel, FL. I was preparing to head to Orlando for a Native Plant Society Conference when I received a call from one of our interns who was from Brooklyn. She was in her office in the main building that was about 50 steps from my office. Her voice was empty I remember and I knew right away that Amanda was shaken by something. All she said to me was that one of the towers had been hit. Then the woman I was working with raced in and told me that New York City was under attack. I ran up to Amanda and saw on the t.v. a plane hitting the other tower and it looked like a movie. Amanda was on her cell phone trying to reach her dad who worked at the hospital across from the Brooklyn Bridge. She couldn't get through due to all the cell phone activity. We sat all day watching the coverage trying to reach her folks. Amanda had friends that worked in the retail center at the foot of the twin towers. We finally reached her dad and all he could say was that he was o.k. and was on his motorcycle crossing the Brooklyn Bridge when the first tower was hit. I took Amanda to the Hungry Heron for cheese fries that were served in a cast iron skillet and beer. The wait staff and visitors all had blank looks on there faces. Needless to say, I didn't go to Orlando and spent the week consoling my dear friend Amanda.
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